The present invention relates generally to musical score display apparatus and methods for displaying a score of a music piece, for every one or more predetermined displaying portions, such as one or more displaying pages, in synchronism with an automatic or manual performance of the music piece.
Among conventionally-known examples of musical score display apparatus for displaying a score of a music piece in synchronism with an automatic or manual performance of the music piece is one disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No.HEI-10-254434, which includes first and second memories for storing score-displaying image data of current and next displaying pages, respectively. In the conventional musical score display apparatus, a xe2x80x9cscore portionxe2x80x9d of the current displaying page (i.e., a portion of the musical score corresponding to the current displaying page) is displayed on a display device in accordance with the score-displaying image data stored in the first memory. As a performance of the former half of the score portion of the current displaying page is completed, the score-displaying image data of the former half of the next displaying page is transferred from the second memory to the first memory, so that the former half of the score portion of the next displaying page can be visually displayed on the display device. Further, in the conventional musical score display apparatus, score portions of two successive displaying pages can also be simultaneously displayed side by side in such a manner that as a performance of one of the displaying pages is completed, another displaying page, following the displaying page being currently performed in place of the performance-completed displaying page is newly displayed on the display device.
The conventional musical score display apparatus can display the score portions of the current and next displaying pages in a sequential manner. However, where, for example, a performed measure (i.e., to-be-performed measure) is to be shifted or jumped between a plurality of displaying pages on the basis of a repeat sign, there arises needs to search score information of the music piece for the repeat sign and destination displaying page (shifted-to displaying page) designated by the repeat sign, convert the score information of the destination displaying page into image data and then write the converted image data into the second memory. Therefore, the display control process would inevitably become very complicated.
Further, the conventional musical score display apparatus can simultaneously display, in a side-by-side relationship, the score portions of the currently-performed displaying page and next displaying page to be performed following the currently-performed displaying page, half of the score portion of the currently-performed page and half of the score portion of the next displaying page, etc., on the display screen. However, in the case where the performed measure is to be shifted or jumped between a plurality of displaying pages, for example, on the basis of a repeat sign, it is not easy to determine, in real time, a displaying page to be next performed on the basis of the score information etc., so that the display control process would become complicated.
In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel musical score display apparatus and method which can greatly simplify a display control process for displaying, in synchronism with a performance, each individual displaying portion of a musical score where a performed measure shifts between a plurality of the displaying portions.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel musical score display apparatus and method which can greatly simplify a display control process for displaying, in synchronism with a performance, every predetermined plurality of displaying portions of a musical score where a performed measure shifts between a plurality of the displaying portions.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an improved musical score display apparatus, which comprises: a performance progression information supply section that supplies performance progression information in accordance with performance progression of a given music piece; a score information supply section that supplies score information representative of a score of the given music piece; a display progression information supply section that supplies display progression information that divides the score of the music piece into a plurality of displaying portions and supplies display progression information to define a shift, in the displaying portions, of a performed measure based on a repeat sign; a first storage section; a second storage section; a first write section that, on the basis of the score information supplied by the score information supply section, converts score information of a current displaying portion, corresponding to current performance progression of the given music piece, into first score-displaying image data and writes the first score-displaying image data into the first storage section; a determination section that, in accordance with the display progression information, determines a next displaying portion to be displayed following the current displaying portion; a second write section that, on the basis of the score information supplied by the score information supply section, converts score information of the next displaying portion, determined by the determination section, into second score-displaying image data and writes the second score-displaying image data into the second storage section; a detection section that, on the basis of the performance progression information and the display progression information, detects display switching timing at which the current performance progression of the given music piece shifts from the current displaying portion to the next displaying portion; a transfer section that transfers the second score-displaying image data of the second storage section to the first storage section in response to detection, by the detection section, of the display switching timing, so that the first score-displaying image data written in the first storage section are replaced with the second score-displaying image data; and a display section that displays a score portion of the current displaying portion in accordance with the first score-displaying image data written in the first storage section.
When a score of a given music piece, divided into a plurality of displaying portions, is to be sequentially displayed, the musical score display apparatus of the present invention arranged as above can sequentially switch the displayed contents (displayed score portion) on the display section from the current displaying portion to the next displaying portion in accordance with progression of a performance. At that time, display progression information is supplied which defines a shift of a performed measure (i.e., to-be-performed measure) based on a repeat sign, and the next displaying portion to be displayed following the current displaying portion is determined in accordance with the display progression information. Also, on the basis of the performance progression information and the display progression information, detection is made of each display switching timing at which the current performance progression of the given music piece shifts from the current displaying portion to the next displaying portion. Such arrangements of the invention can readily designate the next displaying portion appropriately in response to a shift (jump) of the performed measure based on a repeat sign.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a musical score display apparatus, which comprises a performance progression information supply section that supplies performance progression information in accordance with performance progression of a given music piece; a score information supply section that supplies score information representative of a score of the given music piece; a display progression information supply section that divides the score of the music piece into a plurality of displaying portions and supplies display progression information defining a shift, in the displaying portions, of a performed measure based on a repeat sign; a first storage section; a second storage section; a first write section that converts score information of a first predetermined score displaying section, of the score information supplied by the score information supply section, into first score-displaying image data, the first predetermined score displaying section being composed of a predetermined number of displaying portions corresponding to a performance sequence of the given music piece, and then writes the first score-displaying image data into the first storage section; a display section that, in accordance with the first score-displaying image data written in the first storage section, displays, in a side-by-side relationship, score portions of the predetermined number of displaying portions corresponding to the first score-displaying image data; a determination section that, in accordance with the display progression information, a second predetermined score displaying section to be displayed following the first predetermined score displaying section, the second predetermined score displaying section being composed of a predetermined number of displaying portions corresponding to the performance sequence of the given music piece, the second predetermined score displaying section including at least one of the displaying portions of the first predetermined score displaying section that is to be performed last in the first predetermined score displaying section and a displaying portion to be performed following the one displaying portion; a second write section that converts score information of the second predetermined score displaying section, of the score information supplied by the score information supply section, into second score-displaying image data, and then writes the second score-displaying image data into the second storage section; a detection section that detects display switching timing on the basis of the performance progression information and the display progression information; and a transfer section that transfers the second score-displaying image data of the second storage section to the first storage section in response to detection, by the detection section, of the display switching timing, so that the first score-displaying image data written in the first storage section are replaced with the second score-displaying image data to thereby switch displayed contents on the display section.
According to the second aspect, score portions of a first predetermined score displaying section (i.e. a predetermined plurality of displaying portions), corresponding to first score-displaying image data, are displayed, side by side, on the screen of the display section in accordance with the first score-displaying image data written or stored in the first storage section. At that time, display progression information is supplied which defines a shift of a performed measure (i.e., to-be-performed measure) based on a repeat sign, and the second predetermined score displaying section to be displayed following the first predetermined score displaying section is determined in accordance with the display progression information. Here, the second predetermined score displaying section includes at least one of the displaying portions of the first predetermined score displaying section that is to be performed last of all the displaying portions in the first predetermined score displaying section and a displaying portion to be performed following the one displaying portion. Also, detection is made of each display switching timing on the basis of the performance progression information and the display progression information, and the displayed score portions of the plurality of displaying portions can be switched from those of the first predetermined score displaying section to those of the second predetermined score displaying section in response to the detection of the display switching timing. Such arrangements can display score portions of appropriate displaying portions simultaneously, side by side, in accordance with performance progression, and can also readily designate the next displaying portion appropriately in response to a shift (jump) of the performed measure based on a repeat sign.
Note that the terms xe2x80x9crepeat signxe2x80x9d as used in this specification do not necessarily refer to a repeat-instructing mark alone and embrace any one of all kinds of musical signs instructing a shift or jump of the performed measure, such as da capo, coda or dal segno.
The present invention may be constructed and implemented not only as the apparatus invention as discussed above but also as a method invention. Also, the present invention may be arranged and implemented as a software program for execution by a processor such as a computer or DSP, as well as a storage medium storing such a program. Further, the processor used in the present invention may comprise a dedicated processor with dedicated logic built in hardware, not to mention a computer or other general-purpose type processor capable of running a desired software program.
While the described embodiments represent the preferred form of the present invention, it is to be understood that various modifications will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. The scope of the present invention is therefore to be determined solely by the appended claims.